Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats

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My recipe for Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats is an easy way to wake up in the morning and have a hot breakfast ready and waiting for you! Crock pot steel cut oats is a perfect overnight breakfast recipe - they only need 10 minutes of prep!

Best Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats

One of my favorite breakfasts to start the day with is my recipe for slow cooker steel cut oats. My family loves this sweet breakfast - and the best part is, it's so easy to make!

You only need 10 minutes of prep and a small handful of ingredients to make the best slow cooker oats for breakfast. Whip up some simple cream cheese frosting to pair with the oats, and your breakfast will taste like a cinnamon roll in a bowl!

Try making this overnight steel cut oats crockpot recipe, and I guarantee you will want to make it every week. It is a delicious way to start the day!

Overnight Oats Recipe FAQs

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats Ingredients

• steel cut oats
• milk
• water
• cinnamon
• unsalted butter
• salt
• brown sugar

As this is a steel cut oats recipe, it's important not to use instant oats or other rolled oats. Make sure you have steel cut oats for this overnight oats recipe!

Cream Cheese Frosting

I love serving a cream cheese frosting with my slow cooker steel cut oats. It makes the whole bowl taste like a cinnamon roll! To make the cream cheese frosting, you will need:

• cream cheese
• milk
• pure vanilla extract
• powdered sugar

How to Slow Cook Steel Cut Oats

1. Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all of the steel cut oat ingredients except for the brown sugar to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours overnight. 
2. In the morning, remove the lid and stir the oats. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top and let sit. 
3. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese frosting ingredients. Using a hand mixer, beat the ingredients on low until you have a creamy frosting. Add additional milk if the icing seems too thick. 
4. When ready to serve, hand pipe or drizzle the icing over each individual bowl of the slow cooker steel cut oats and serve immediately. 

What are steel cut oats?

The most common kinds of oats you'll see in the grocery store are steel cut, rolled, and instant oats. The difference between each type of oat essentially comes down to the processing of the oat, which affects the look, texture, and cooking time.

For this recipe, we'll be using steel cut oats. Steel cut oats are processed by chopping the whole oat groat into several pieces. This gives the oats a grainier texture and requires a longer cooking time, which is why they are the perfect choice for overnight slow cooker oats!

Are steel cut oats better for you?

Because the processing of each type of oat is different, the nutritional properties may slightly differ. For example, because steel cut oats are the least processed, they typically have more of the bran intact, whereas instant oats have been precooked and dried, removing much of the outer bran.

Because of this, steel cut oats tend to be higher in fiber. However, all types are nearly equivalent when it comes to protein, carbohydrates, and fat content. There's also much discussion around the glycemic index when it comes to carbohydrates, especially if one is managing their blood sugar. Steel cut oats have a lower glycemic index than their counterparts. (Source: Health Benefits of Steel Cut Oats, WebMD)

Serving Suggestions for Slow Crockpot Steel Cut Oats

Of course, you can top your slow cooker steel cut oats with just about anything, from fresh fruit to cinnamon and sugar, to jams and jellies. That's the best part about these oats; you can make them your own with whatever toppings you'd like! For this recipe, I topped the slow cooker steel cut oats off with a cream cheese frosting, just like you'd find on a warm cinnamon roll!

Best Slow Cooker Recipes

• Slow Cooker Lasagna
• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
• Slow Cooker Pork Ribs
• Slow Cooker Wings
• Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy

Slow cooker steel cut oats make a great vacation recipe! Try more of my Easy Vacation Meals for ideas of what you can make while on vacation.